Hacking What is DSi mode?

[Jstink101]

What is DSi mode? What difference does it make when buying a flashcard?

 

[jurassicplayer]

DSi mode is exactly what it sounds like. The DSi uses a different mode than the DS and has access to the various other features that the DSi has, such as the camera, the SD slot, and the hardware. Of course, this is only for the DSi (because obviously the DS doesn't have a variety of the extra stuff added to the DSi). This plays into buying a flashcart if you are a homebrew goer or if you want to place your hopes in having support for commercial DSi-enhanced games...and maybe DSi games in the far far future.
In terms of homebrew, there could be the possibility of homebrew utilizing the camera, the SD slot, etc. in the future and there isn't that much regression with the compatibility layer already added (though the compatibility layer isn't perfect yet, it does cover some wide ground in allowing various homebrew to work with DSi mode). Of course, the main drawback is that there needs to be homebrew coders to code homebrew xD.
At the moment, the iEvo is the only flashcart that has the ability to play DSi-enhanced games with DSi enhancements working, but the drawback is that most of the DSi-enhanced games that have been dumped are bad dumps that don't have all of the data for the DSi sections of the ROM. Dumping your own games also won't be able to work correctly unless you happen to have the right equipment for it. Of course, just because playing things in DSi mode may lead to various dead ends with bad ROM dumps, using the iEvo in regular DS mode works like a regular flashcart and it still has it's high compatibility.

 

[Another World]

The different modes relate to the parameters for which actual retail game carts must boot into and can also be used to discuss the additional options available to the software. In regards to DS-Mode the 2-ARM Central Processing Units clock at speeds of 67 MHz and 33 MHz, respectively, with a total accessible RAM capacity of 4MB, and WIFI limited to WEP encryption. In DSi-Mode the ARM-9 CPU clocks at an increased speed of 133 MHz while the ARM-7 co-processor continues to clock at 33 MHz, a total accessible RAM capacity of 16MB is now available, and DSi-Mode software can connect to WIFI using WPA encryption. Additionally, DSi enhanced ROMs (potentially future Homebrew projects as well), have access to the 0.3-megapixel digital cameras.

http://gbatemp.net/t279940-cyclods-ievolution-review#a2